Surgical stapling devices, such as endocutters, typically staple and cut tissue to transect that tissue while leaving the cut ends of that tissue hemostatic. More advanced surgical stapling devices typically have end-effectors that are small enough in diameter so that they can be used in minimally invasive surgical procedures where access to a surgical site is obtained through a trocar, port, or small incision in the body of a patient. A typical stapling device holds a disposable single-use cartridge with several rows of staples, and includes an anvil to oppose the staples as the staples are deployed from the cartridge. During operations, the surgeon inserts the stapling device through an opening in the body (typically using a trocar), orients the end of the stapling device around the tissue to be transected, and compresses the anvil and cartridge together to clamp that tissue. Then, a row or rows of staples are deployed on either side of the transection line, and a blade is advanced along the transection line to divide the tissue.
During actuation of the endocutter, the stapling device fires all of the staples in the single-use disposable cartridge. In order to deploy more staples, the endocutter must be moved away from the surgical site and removed from within the patient. The spent cartridge is removed from the endocutter and replaced by a new cartridge. The endocutter is then reinserted into the patient for further staple deployment.